


Good Soldiers Follow Orders

by Pandora151



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Blood, Character Death, Clone Trooper Inhibitor Chips (Star Wars), Gen, Murder, Planet Tatooine (Star Wars), Post-Order 66 (Star Wars), Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:06:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29983989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pandora151/pseuds/Pandora151
Summary: “Good soldiers follow orders,” CC-2224 replies, and he lifts his blaster evenly, locking it directly towards the Jedi’s chest.The Jedi doesn’t move, not even to look away or take a few steps back.  He just stands there, eyes bright.“There was a time, not too long ago, that we were friends, Cody,” the Jedi says softly, and CC-2224 frowns at the unfamiliar name.  “At the time, we were family.  Did all of that really mean nothing to you?”
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi
Comments: 44
Kudos: 59





	Good Soldiers Follow Orders

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, me posting a new fic twice in one week? It's more unlikely than you would think *glances at the massive pile of WIPs I should've been working on instead of this and laughs awkwardly*
> 
> Anyways, you can blame the Chaos Company Discord server for this one (and our wonderful prompt bot—all hail the prompt bot) :)
> 
> Edit: it has been suggested that you listen to Moonlight Sonata while reading this, so here's a [link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUM9uaLeoLU).
> 
> Please mind the tags and warnings, folks, and enjoy!

CC-2224 arrives on Tatooine in the middle of the day. The twin suns beat down on him as he steps out of his ship into the wide expanse of sand, adjusting the visor on his helmet to block out the glare of the suns.

The heat is merciless, a burning intensity that seeps into his bones, but CC-2224 does not allow himself to falter.

He has his orders, after all.

He had failed to follow them through before, on Utapau, when Order 66 had initially been called. At the time, the Jedi were declared as traitors, and his men had immediately shot down the traitor in their midst.

They hadn’t found a body, and they had assumed—wrongly—that the Jedi had fallen.

CC-2224 knows better now.

After weeks and weeks of searching, hearing whispers of a Jedi living somewhere in the Outer Rim, a quick intercept of Senator Organa’s communications directed him to Tatooine.

And now, he will not fail. He will follow his orders, to the end.

A quick venture into Mos Eisley confirms his suspicions. The residents speak of an old wizard living out in the Dune Sea. _Crazy Old Ben_ , they say, laughing unknowingly about the danger that thrives out in the distance, threatening their very existence.

CC-2224 will eradicate this danger, rid this planet of the traitor, once and for all.

Orders are orders, after all.

He rents out a speeder and drives out into the open expanse of sand, feeling the suns beat down on him, almost urging him on. There is a ringing in his ears, almost in the distance, but it does not matter, not when his target is so close.

Five years later, he will finish this—once and for all.

CC-2224 finds the hut almost an hour later, nestled just past the Pika Oasis, leading into the Jundland Wastes. He figures this must be where the traitor lives, but a quick scan of the interior tells him that the hut is empty.

“You can’t hide from me for much longer, _Jedi_ ,” he murmurs, and he directs his speeder into the Jundland Wastes, as though something just told him that the Jedi is somewhere out there, in the middle of nowhere.

The desert is plain, scorching, but CC-2224’s mind is clear, focused.

He knows what he must do.

When he sees the lone figure standing in the distance, CC-2224 slams his foot on the accelerator, feeling the hot, dry wind whip through his shoulders, nearly pushing him back. He doesn’t falter; he _will_ not falter, no matter what.

The speeder comes to a sudden stop a few feet behind the Jedi, and as CC-2224 climbs out, blaster in hand, the Jedi turns.

The eyes that meet him are worn, exhausted. The Jedi’s face is tanned from an extended amount of time underneath the suns. He has a bag slung over his shoulder, and his robes are thin and tattered, worn down from the heat of the suns.

“You’re here,” the Jedi says, and his voice shakes, just slightly. “I suppose you have come here to fulfill your orders—is that it?”

CC-2224 walks forward until he stands only a few feet away from the Jedi, at the perfect distance to raise his blaster when he is ready. This Jedi is a tricky one, so CC-2224 knows he must be careful, precise.

“Good soldiers follow orders,” CC-2224 replies, and he lifts his blaster evenly, locking it directly towards the Jedi’s chest.

The Jedi doesn’t move, not even to look away or take a few steps back. He just stands there, eyes bright.

“There was a time, not too long ago, that we were friends, Cody,” the Jedi says softly, and CC-2224 frowns at the unfamiliar name. “At the time, we were _family_. Did all of that really mean nothing to you?”

CC-2224 narrows his eyes and keeps his hands steady, though he thinks, distantly, that the Jedi’s words make little sense.

“You are nothing more than a traitor to the Empire, and you have been marked for elimination by decree of Order 66,” CC-2224 hisses. “You mean _nothing_ to me.”

The Jedi stares back at him, with eyes that shine brighter and brighter. There are tears slipping out of his eyes now, rolling down his cheeks into an untidy beard, but the Jedi makes no move to wipe them.

“Families are—” The Jedi swallows harshly, reflexively. “Families are supposed to love you—not leave you,” he whispers hoarsely. “Cody, you are _family_ , and no matter what, I will always see you as such.”

CC-2224 lets out a harsh laugh, a force of habit.

“Then I guess you’ve never had a family,” he says, and the Jedi takes a step back, instinctively. “What are you waiting for? You are not unarmed, Jedi. Let’s settle this, once and for all.”

The Jedi shakes his head, shock painted deeply into his eyes, curling his shoulders forward as though CC-2224 had already fired.

But he hasn’t. Not yet, at least.

“Cody, please,” the Jedi says, a bit louder. “This is not you; there is an inhibitor chip in your mind telling you what to do. Look inside yourself and fight it.” He gestures to the lightsaber hanging from his belt, hands trembling slightly. “I am not going to fight you.”

They stand in broad daylight, in the middle of nowhere on Tatooine, with the suns beating down on them with harsh vigor. The Jedi’s tears are more visible now, and his shoulders tremble with an almost uncharacteristic amount of emotion.

CC-2224 takes a single step forward, allowing his index finger to rest on the trigger of his blaster, re-focusing his aim to the center of the Jedi’s chest.

One shot will do it. He knows this from experience. All he needs to do is press down on the trigger, and his mission will be complete.

“Good soldiers follow orders,” CC-2224 repeats, and without hesitation, he fires.

The Jedi lets out a quiet gasp as he falls, a hand grasping fruitlessly at the hole in his chest, the sand flying out sideways with the impact of his back colliding with the ground. CC-2224 stalks forward, reloading his blaster, in case the traitor somehow has some more tricks up his sleeve.

The Jedi’s body trembles with each wheezing breath as he stares up at CC-2224, eyes glazed and unfocused. Through the fingers splayed out on his chest, CC-2224 can see the damage, burning a hole through the Jedi’s robes and skin, exposing a burnt display of cauterized, damaging internal injuries.

CC-2224 kneels next to the body, keeping his eyes focused onto the Jedi’s. He puts the nozzle into the hole in the Jedi’s chest, kicking the Jedi’s hand away in the process. In response, the Jedi’s body jerks as the blaster digs into the wound until blood begins to seep out of the wound, staining the pale cloth of the Jedi’s tunic.

The Jedi lets out a shuddering wheeze and pants, blinking heavily. His mouth works slightly, as though he is trying to say something more, but the only sounds that escape him are quiet, pained gasps, nearly soundless from the dryness in the air.

“I have to finish what I started five years ago. What I should have done from the very beginning,” CC-2224 says, voice firm.

His finger twitches over the trigger once again, and then he presses down on it firmly, feeling the blaster jerk slightly in his gloved hand. 

The Jedi’s body thrashes for a split second before going completely still. CC-2224 watches with cold satisfaction as the dull light in the Jedi’s eyes blinks out of existence. He shifts forward, placing a hand under the Jedi’s nose to check for any sign of breathing.

Nothing. The Jedi’s body is completely still.

CC-2224 stands up from his crouch, using his hand to wipe the blood off the nozzle of the blaster before putting it back in its holster.

He regards the body at his feet, still and broken. The Jedi’s eyes are open, empty, and CC-2224 nods, satisfied.

Then, he turns around and walks back to his speeder, leaving the traitor’s body to be buried in the sands.

**Author's Note:**

> :)))))))
> 
> Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment on your way out!


End file.
